1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric cooking device, more particularly to an electric cooking device that is suitable for grilling and baking foodstuffs.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional electric cooking device includes a base unit 11 and a cover unit 12. The base unit 11 includes a lower housing 110 made of a heat resistant material, a lower cookware member 111 made of a heat conductive material and mounted in the lower housing 110, and an electric heating element 112 operatively coupled to the lower cookware member 111 for supplying heat to the lower cookware member 111. The cover unit 12 includes an upper housing 120 made of a heat resistant material, an upper cookware member 121 made of a heat conductive material and mounted in the upper housing 120, and an electric heating element 122 operatively coupled to the upper cookware member 121 for supplying heat to the upper cookware member 121. The upper housing 120 is mounted pivotally to the lower housing 110 such that the cover unit 12 is movable to a closed position relative to the base unit 11 so as to form a cooking chamber with the base unit 11.
The lower cookware member 111 includes a grill plate 14 and a surrounding wall 15 that extends upwardly from a periphery of the grill plate 14. The grill plate 14 is formed with an oil-collecting hole 141 adjacent to a front edge portion thereof, and has a top surface formed with a plurality of straight grill ribs 142. Each of the grill ribs 142 has one end adjacent to the oil-collecting hole 141, and generally extends in a radial outward direction relative to the oil-collecting hole 141.
In use, oil that is generated when cooking foodstuffs on the grill plate 14 is drained through the oil-collecting hole 141.
In the conventional electric cooking device, since the grill ribs 142 generally extend in radial directions, the grill ribs 142, are more closely arranged at the vicinity of the oil-collecting hole 141 than at the vicinity of a rear edge portion of the grill plate 14. The arrangement as such results in uneven heat distribution that tends to scorch portions of the foodstuffs on the grill plate 14.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an electric cooking device that can overcome the aforesaid drawback associated with the prior art.
According to the present invention, an electric cooking device comprises a base unit that includes a lower housing, a lower cookware member mounted in the lower housing, and an electric heating element operatively coupled to the lower cookware member for supplying heat to the lower cookware member.
The lower cookware member includes a grill plate that has front and rear edge portions opposite to each other in a first direction, and left and right edge portions opposite to each other in a second direction transverse to the first direction and interconnecting the front and rear edge portions. The grill plate defines a plate axis that extends in the first direction and that is disposed between the left and right edge portions.
The grill plate has a top cooking surface that inclines rearwardly and upwardly from the front edge portion to the rear edge portion relative to a horizontal plane. The top cooking surface of the grill plate further inclines downwardly from the plate axis to each of the left and right edge portions.
The grill plate is formed with an oil-collecting hole adjacent to the front edge portion and disposed at the plate axis. The oil-collecting hole has left and right sides relative to the plate axis.
The top cooking surface of the grill plate is formed with a plurality of curved grill ribs. Each of the grill ribs includes a curved left rib portion extending from the left side of the oil-collecting hole to the plate axis, and a curved right rib portion extending from the plate axis to the right side of the oil-collecting hole.
The grill ribs have different arc lengths and intersect the plate axis at different distances with respect to the oil-collecting hole such that longer ones of the grill ribs surround shorter ones of the grill ribs.